When you’re starting a business, every penny counts. That’s why it’s important to choose a credit card with rewards and perks that fit your business needs.
Whether you’re looking for cash back, valuable rewards, flexible payment options, or low-interest rates, there’s a credit card out there for you.
Below are our picks for the best credit cards for startups.
1. Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express
- Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards Points for $3,000 in Eligible Purchases in the First 3 Months
- 2 Points Per Dollar on the First $50,000 in Purchases Each Calendar Year (1x Points thereafter)
- 0.0% Intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months. After that, a variable APR of 17.74% – 25.74%.
- No Annual Fee (Rates and Fees)
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is one of my favorite cards because it has no annual fee and earns 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 in purchases every year. After that, you will earn 1 point on all other eligible purchases.
You can transfer Membership Rewards to 18 airlines and three hotel points programs, with several great sweet spots to travel in business class to anywhere in the world.
I put all of my everyday business spending on my Blue Business Plus because it is a quick way to rack up points for my next trip.
2. Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Earn 100,000 Ultimate Rewards Points After Spending $15,000 in Purchases in the First 3 Months
- 3X Points on Travel, Shipping, Advertising (Social Media and Search Engines), Internet, Cable, and Phone on the First $150,000 Each Account Year
- 25% Additional Points Value in Travel Redemption
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
- Cell Phone Protection
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a versatile business rewards card earning 3x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year in business categories, including shipping, online advertising, internet, phone, and travel.
This business card offers a lucrative bonus of 100,000 points worth $1,000 cash back or $1,250 when redeemed toward travel via Chase.
For $95 per year, the Chase Ink Business Preferred offers comprehensive protection, including trip cancellation insurance, trip delay insurance, primary rental car insurance, purchase protection, cell phone insurance, and extended warranty.
3. Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles After Spending $4,500 in the First 3 Months
- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x Miles On Every Purchase
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck Credit
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $0 Intro Annual Fee for the First Year, $95 Thereafter
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
The Capital One Spark Miles for Business is one of the top travel rewards credit cards for small business owners.
The card earns unlimited 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. It also earns unlimited 2 miles per dollar on all purchases, which can be transferred to Capital One’s airline and hotel partners.
The Spark Miles also offers a statement credit for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four years (up to $100) and no foreign transaction fees.
4. Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
- Earn $750 Bonus Cash Back After Spending $6,000 in the First 3 Months.
- Unlimited 1.5% Cash Back on Every Purchase
- Primary Rental Car Insurance
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- No Annual Fee
The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card is a no-annual-fee card that earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases, with a welcome bonus of $750 after spending $6,000 in the first three months.
It also pairs well with the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, which unlocks the ability to convert the Ink Business Unlimited cash back to airline or hotel points from any of Chase’s transfer partners.
This combo allows you to effectively earn 1.5 airline miles per dollar with this card, which is worth more than 1.5% cash back.
5. The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is an outstanding choice for business owners who want airport lounge access including the American Express Global Lounge Collection, Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs, Escape Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, and more.
The Business Platinum card also offers several statement credits to offset the $695 annual fee:
- $200 Airline Fee: Annual airline fee credit of up to $200 on charges by the airline you select per calendar year.
- $400 Dell: Annual statement credit on all U.S. Dell purchases, up to $200 semiannually.
- $120 Wireless Phone Services: Annual statement credits for purchases made directly with any U.S. wireless telephone provider, up to $10 per month.
- CLEAR: Up to $189 toward an annual Clear membership for expedited airport security.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Statement credits for Global Entry ($100) or TSA PreCheck ($85) every four years (4.5 years for PreCheck).
You can also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, and 1.5x points on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year
The American Express Business Platinum comes with automatic Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold so that you can enjoy perks like room upgrades, late check-out, and a points bonus.
Additionally, the points you earn can be transferred to several Amex transfer partners such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Delta SkyMiles, and Marriott Bonvoy. This potentially increases the value of your points depending on how you redeem them.
6. American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card
- Earn a $250 Statement Credit After $3,000 in Eligible Purchases in the First 3 Months
- 2% Cash Back On Up to $50,000 Per Year (1% Thereafter)
- 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 12 Months. After that, a variable rate of 17.74% – 25.74% applies.
- No Annual Fee (Rates and Fees)
The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card offers simple, straightforward rewards for no annual cost.
This zero-annual-fee card earns a flat 2% cashback rate on all qualifying purchases up to $50,000 each year (1% thereafter).
The Blue Business Cash also offers expanded buying power, giving your business the flexibility to spend above your credit limit for your business expenses.
7. Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
- Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points After You Spend $5,000 in the First Three Months. Offer Ends 4/5/23.
- Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status
- 12X Points at Hilton Properties
- 6X Points at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Restaurants
- 10 Complimentary Priority Pass Lounge Visits
- $95 Annual Fee & No Foreign Transaction Fees (Rates and Fees)
The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card offers complimentary Gold status with the chance to upgrade to Diamond status upon hitting the $40,000 spending threshold.
For a low annual fee of $95, this business card earns 12x Hilton Honors points at Hilton properties and 6x points in several categories:
- U.S. restaurants
- U.S. gas stations
- U.S. shipping purchases
- Wireless phone services with U.S. service providers
- Flights booked directly with airlines or with amextravel.com
- Car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies
The Hilton Honors Business card also offers a free night reward after spending $15,000 and a second free night reward after spending $45,000 per year.
Plus, you receive 10 free Priority Pass visits to airport lounges worldwide.
8. U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard
- Earn $500 Cash Back After Spending $4,500 in the First 150 Days on the Account Owner’s Card
- 5% Cash Back on Prepaid Hotels and Car Rentals via the U.S. Bank Travel Rewards Center
- 3% Cash Back at Gas and EV Charging Stations, Office Supply Stores, Cell Phone Service, and Restaurants
- $100 Annual Software Credit for Recurring Subscription
- No Annual Fee
The no-annual-fee U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard® earns 3% cash back on eligible purchases at gas stations and EV charging stations, office supply stores, cell phone service providers, and restaurants.
9. American Express® Business Gold Card
- Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards Points After $10,000 in Eligible Purchases in the First 3 Months
- 4X Points on Purchases in Your Top 2 Business Categories (up to $150,000 in Combined Purchases Per Calendar Year)
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $295 Annual Fee (Rates and Fees)
The American Express® Business Gold Card is a good fit for business owners who want to earn much-coveted Membership Rewards points from business spending.
For a $295 annual fee, this card earns 4x points on up to $150,000 in combined purchases per year in your top two spending categories, with options including eligible airfare, U.S. advertising, U.S. shipping, U.S. cloud, software, and hardware, U.S. gas, and U.S. dining purchases.
You can also receive 25% points back after you use points for all or part of an eligible flight booked with Amex Travel, up to 250,000 points back per calendar year.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business Plus® Credit Card from American Express, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, please click here.
